Constance Contraire
Constance Contraire is a very stubborn and intelligent girl. She is the youngest and most bothersome member of the Mysterious Benedict Society. Though she is naughty, she plays a very big role in the group. She is known for her poems, hardheadedness (not to mention hot-headedness), and never-ending complaints. Her strength and abilities include being stubborn, writing poems, reading minds, changing minds, and transferring messages into other people's minds. Nicholas Benedict adopted her. Appearance Constance has short yellow hair and blue eyes; if she were any taller she might resemble Kate enough to be related. She is allegedly very chubby and, in the first book and all illustrations, seen wearing a red raincoat with enough pockets to hold thirty-seven pencils. She is two years old at the beginning of the series, but because of her intellect the others assume she is older. In the newest book of the series, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages, Constance wears a pink shirt with the word, 'NO' on it. She wears one of Mr. Benedict's plaid green suits that was fitted to her size. The name "Constance Contraire" could be a play on "constantly contrary" or "consistently contrary," referring to Constance's stubborn attitude. In fact, it's her stubborn attitude that saves the Society in the first book, when Mr. Curtain attempts to brainsweep them. Personality Constance is like any other two-year-old except for the happy, innocent and cheerful part. The annoyance factor is enhanced to make up for the lack. She is constantly grumpy and contrary to anything anyone has to say; she insists on having the last word and will do almost anything to get it. She is also very grumpy at everything that does not go her way. Because of her more advanced intellect conflicting with her natural instincts, it's definitely difficult for her to relate to children her own age; thereby making her friends the only people whom she can really relate to. Constance seems to favor Reynie, but it's also quite possible she considers herself close to Sticky as well. Her behavior towards Kate is very sisterly. She is known for being rather mischievous, as she is known to have peppered Reynie's toothbrush and writes her infamous, insulting poetry. Constance does, however, have toddler instincts and food is one of her main concerns, especially candies and desserts. If anything's not exactly her way she can get very frustrated. At first Kate is extremely reluctant to have anything to do with her. Abilities Constance is a genius, who can read, write, and speak intelligently from an extremely early age. She constantly is spouting rhymes on the spot, usually insults directed at whoever is closest to her, so much that Kate comes up with a retaliating rhyme. Unfortunately, we never get to hear it. In the second book, it's shown that Constance can tell who's where just by the pattern of his footsteps. This proves useful to the children on many occasions; such as when they are talking and Constance alerts them that Captain Noland is coming down the hall. In the third book, this ability has heightened to the point of almost psychic-appearing power. Constance can predict the weather by sensing patterns in the air, and likely predict behavior as well by mood patterns and knowledge of a person's general behavior. She can also communicate through images telepathically, communicating her location to Reynie in the form of a call number at the library. With Sticky, she made him believe for an instant that he didn't like vanilla ice cream, giving it to her, though this caused an immense headache and stomach flu-like symptoms for a couple of days. She also got rid of Mr. Benedict's narcolepsy, which was probably one of her most stressing experiences. Mr. Benedict tells the children that Constance is highly sensitive to patterns, making her appear psychic. However, she isn't psychic in that she can predict the future without any previous information. She is especially sensitive and can hear the Messengers' voices. Her pattern-recognition ability makes her excellent at solving puzzles - she is able to recognize a pattern even in a large jigsaw puzzle where few pieces have readily distinguishable details and put it together far faster than anyone else. Relationships Constance is close with Reynie, treating him like her own brother. Sticky is also one of her best friends although she does become a bit of a know it all when around him. Most of the arguments she picks are with Kate although as the girls in the group they have a nice bond. She has a father-daughter relationship with Mr. Benedict leading to him adopting her. Through this, she is also sisters with Rhonda and Number Two, as they were earlier adopted my Mr. Benedict. Biography Before the Series Constance was orphaned at a very early age, growing up in the house of a woman named Myrtle. Soon after her second birthday, the Ten Men (then Recruiters) tried to buy her for Curtain. Constance escaped the house, and with the help of an old lady, escaped to the Brookville branch of the library, where she lived for a few months. She had recurring dreams about the Recruiters trying to get her, however, and eventually hypnotized herself into forgetting all about them. ''The Mysterious Benedict Society'' Constance entered this story in Chapter 4. (The Trouble with Children, or Why They Are Necessary.) According to Rhonda Kazembe, she had disregarded the rules about bringing one pencil to Mr. Benedict's tests and had brought thirty-seven instead. She had answered the questions with funny but ludicrous answers, including "What is wrong with you?" and "Rules and schools are tools for fools - I don't give two mules for rules!" Mr. Benedict laughed so hard he fell asleep at these, but it only confused her soon-to-be friends. When she actually appeared in the story, she was led by Milligan. The minute she entered, she revealed her snarky side - "I'm not apologizing" were the first words out of her mouth. Throughout the early chapters that she is featured in, she and Kate begin building a mutual animus against each other. (although this is resolved throughout the rest of the series.) Her first major event she took place in was her kidnapping. Two Recruiters attacked her, shock-watched her unconscious, and dragged her into the maze. Milligan rescued her, but not without some physical damage and trauma on her part. The night before they left for Nomansan Island, Kate became fed up with Constance and asked Reynie to ask Mr. Benedict to get rid of the younger girl. They chose, after a short discussion, to let her stay, and she ended up soon being an integral part of the mission - she "named the crew," to reference the chapter title. It was her idea to name the team the "Mysterious Benedict Society" in the first place. During Chapter 16, (Poison Apples, Poison Worms), the first message broadcast begins. Reynie, Sticky, and Kate all feel angry, but Constance is the only one who can hear the Messengers' voices. This proves that she has a very sensitive mind - a nod to the psychic powers she gains in book 2 and develops in book 3. Constance doesn't really get another big moment until Chapter 32. (Sacrifices, Narrow Escapes, and Something like a Plan.) When Kate realizes that Jackson's licorice is stuck to her shoe, she squirms up to get it and attempts to pass it down the table to Reynie. He continues passing it until it gets to Constance, where she nearly makes a fatal mistake by lifting it up into Jackson and Martina's view. Once she realizes this, before either Executive sees, she eats the dirty, stepped-on licorice. Toward the end of the book, as Kate attempts to get into the Whispering Gallery carrying Constance, they run into a block named Jackson, Jillson, and Martina Crowe. Kate evades them for a time, but eventually has to resort to a last-ditch plan - using her weight to throw Constance onto the flagpole. Constance panics and yells "Open up! Open up! Open up!" at the top of her lungs, disrupting Mr. Curtain's session with Reynie and Sticky in the Whisperer. Constance's true hero moment, however, comes at the very end of the book - when she pushes past all fears, restraints, and grudges to save the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society as Mr. Curtain attempts to brainsweep them. She sits in the Whisperer herself, chooses to sit in it, and resists with all her might and mind. She fights against it until Milligan attempts to break into the Whispering Gallery through the secret entrance, effectively distracting Mr. Curtain and befuddling the Whisperer entirely. She's the true hero of the book, and in the end, she amazes the Society again with the amazing realization that she pulled everything off - at the age of two. (or "two years and eleven months," as she says defensively.) Quotes ''The Mysterious Benedict Society ''"Milligan! Come and tell us why you're so dreadfully glum!" "Poor Kate", said Constance,"she's lost her marbles" "What is wrong with YOU?" "Rules and schools are tools for fools-I wouldn't give two mules for rules!" "Now we have waited for thirty consecutive minutes to see some old dirty Executive thirty long minutes I could have been sleeping but she doesn't find her appointments worth keeping!" "Are you trying to get me caught, George Washington?" Constance flared. "Let's see you study with voices spouting gibberish in your head!" “I didn’t call you ‘that.’ I called you George Washington.” ''The Perilous Journey ''"Get your whits outtahere!" "Do I remember ''them?" "Hmm, let me think, Kate. Oh wait! You mean like the men who tried to kidnap me - the one who shot wires out of their watches, shocked the wits out of me, and stuffed me into a bag?" "My poems would sound ''good if your ears weren’t of wood." Number two asked,"Well? Are you going to just sit there and watch me clean this up?" A smile slowly crept onto Constances face, and she said what Number Two thought she would: that she did, indeed, intend to just sit there and watch. The Prisoner's Dilemma "I'm an orphan! I'm an orphan!" "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion" "Green plaid is quite hideous, a pattern cooked up by dimwit designers that must have been mad." "You're SORRY? Come on, Kate. We get - Packed into a van like sardines in a can, And I have to sit next to a stinky Ten Man; Thirsty and terrified hour after hour Certain that Curtain has us in his power. And you think sorry covered it?!" The Riddle of Ages Why does Tai have to be as cute as a button, when I'' was a ''whiner, a snoot and a glutton." Trivia *Constance's poems are often used for comic relief. *Many of Mr. Curtain's henchmen are wary of Constance's special ability. *Out of all the MBS members Constance is thought to be the most valuable by Mr. Curtain. *Kate often calls Constance "Connie Girl." Which annoys her to no end. *Constance's name is, like others, ironic. Constance Contraire basically means constantly contrary. Yup, that's Constance. *During the third book, Constance is mentioned to be four years old throughout the entire book. However, since she was four at the beginning and her birthday is in January, she would have been five by the time the real adventure takes place. This is an interesting mistake, and a little funny. Category:Characters Category:Mysterious Benedict Society Members Category:Orphans Category:The Benedicts